Video games developed from early prototypes in the late 1940's and 1950's. The modern era of video games was initiated in the 1970's to large degree driven by popular games such as Pong and Space Invaders. During the last decade video game consoles and their attached game controllers have become sophisticated computational devices, often linked to an online network component, offering centralized management, and collaborative gameplay.
Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network are examples of popular platforms that have remained successful in the marketplace, despite of economic woes that have undermined the global economy, including the video game industry. Online console video game participation has grown well beyond 100 million users (combined), in large part thanks to the integration of entertainment applications. Adding these applications has evolved the online gaming network into an interactive entertainment system for video games, movies, music and consumerism.
Paralleling this development of online gaming, celebrities have publicly discussed their interest in gaming. It is well known that a large contingent of celebrities and athletes play videogames through Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and other gaming platforms. Although these individuals tend to keep a low profile online, incentivized gaming would encourage them to play more openly. By playing video games for a few hours a week, a celebrity could simultaneously benefit charity work and promote his or her public image.
There are online gaming services, which provide rewards for gaming accomplishment. However, they only provide rewards for play within their own restricted and proprietary game platforms. No current online gaming services provide integrated access to other external gaming platforms. In addition, they do not provide celebrity related rewards or access to game play with celebrity participation.
There are some gaming sites and gaming platform that reward game play on their proprietary platform with prizes, and others that allow users to watch celebrities play against each other, but at present there are no online gaming applications that allows everyday gamers to compete against celebrities.
In addition, there are no sites or platforms that offer games across multiple external systems, for example offering applications that are integrated with both Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network, or any other major console and gaming network provider.
The present invention builds on existing online gaming products, services, and platforms, by allowing users to compete across multiple platforms, and accumulate rewards and prices in a central system, tied to their game performance in various third-party gaming systems. Additionally, the rewards system provides access to meet with or play online games with celebrities or other notable persons.